COSTA MESA, CA (August 1, 2024) – Pacific Chorale has appointed Natalie Oswald Associate Director of Development. The announced was made by Pacific Chorale President & CEO Director Rhett M. Del Campo. Oswald, who began her tenure on August 1, 2024, formerly served as Advancement Manager at Austin Opera.

“We are delighted to welcome Natalie Oswald as Pacific Chorale’s Associate Director of Development,” says Del Campo. “We had interest in the position from many talented candidates nationwide, but Natalie's unique blend of creativity, leadership, and genuine care for donor stewardship stood out. With her passion for the choral arts and fresh ideas, we're excited to see the positive impact she'll bring to our team and Orange County’s community.”

States Oswald, “I am thrilled to join the Pacific Chorale as Associate Director of Development. Choral music has a unique power to strengthen communities, especially in times of great transition, and I am honored to help make this enduring art form more accessible to members of the Orange County community. I very much look forward to the upcoming season and serving the organization.”

During her tenure with Austin Opera, Oswald was responsible for developing sustainable relationships with donors in the Austin community, planning the opera company’s fundraising events, including its annual Fine Wine Dinner and Auction, and launching and cultivating two new annual fund programs designed to increase audience engagement among young patrons.

Oswald began her career in arts administration managing high-level donor portfolios at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, subsequently, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She also assisted members of the education department at San Francisco Opera with its partnership with the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

A graduate of Oberlin College & Conservatory, Oswald earned a B.A. in French and Musical Studies in 2015. She continued her musical education at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, in Brussels, Belgium, where she received both a B.M. and M.M. in Vocal Performance in 2022. During her time abroad, Oswald regularly performed at such venues as the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium, L’Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, Belgium, the Palais de Beaux-Arts in Charleroi, Belgium, and the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet in Paris, France. She concurrently served as an adjunct professor of English at La Sorbonne Nouvelle and La Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris, France.

For information about Pacific Chorale, visit www.pacificchorale.org or call 714-662-2345.

ABOUT PACIFIC CHORALE

The GRAMMY® Award-winning Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad, is an Orange County “treasure” with a “fresh viewpoint” that “can sing anything you put in front of it with polish, poise and tonal splendor” (Orange County Register). It has risen to national prominence since its founding in 1968.

Hailed for delivering “thrilling entertainment” (Voice of OC), the resident choir at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is noted for its artistic innovation and commitment to expanding the choral repertoire. It has given world, U.S., and West Coast premieres of more than 40 works, including numerous commissions, by such lauded composers as John Adams, Jake Heggie, James Hopkins, David Lang, Morten Lauridsen, Tarik O'Regan, Karen Thomas, Frank Ticheli, András Gábor Virágh, and Eric Whitacre.

In addition to presenting its own concert series each season, Pacific Chorale enjoys a long-standing performance partnership with Pacific Symphony, including the choir’s highly anticipated Carnegie Hall debut in 2018. The chorus also regularly appears with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which it won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for its contribution to the live recording of “Mahler: Symphony No. 8, 'Symphony of A Thousand,'” conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus and Pacific Chorale.

The choir has performed with such leading orchestras as the Boston Symphony, National Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and Musica Angelica, among others. In addition to receiving national accolades, Pacific Chorale has garnered tremendous international acclaim. In July 2023, the chorus completed its first international tour in seven years with appearances in Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom in collaboration with Bath Philharmonia, Free State Orchestra of Bavaria, and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Previous tours have taken the choir to 19 countries in Europe, South America, and Asia, including engagements with the London Symphony, Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, National Orchestra of Belgium, China National Symphony, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Estonian National Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina, among others.

Deeply committed to making choral music accessible to everyone, the organization has a discography of 14 self-produced recordings and an extensive collection of free digital offerings. Among other artistic highlights, Pacific Chorale’s “The Wayfaring Project,” an original concert film conceived and conducted by Istad and produced during the pandemic, was streamed on pbssocal.org, kcet.org and the PBS app, reaching audiences around the globe. Pacific Chorale also places significant emphasis on choral music education, providing after-school vocal programs for elementary school students, a choral summer camp for high school students, and an annual community-wide singing event at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. www.pacificchorale.org

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